As Suarez waits to discover if any of his suitors are prepared to offer in the region of the £50million needed to reluctantly convince Liverpool to do business, Brendan Rodgers’ summer signings spoke glowingly about being part of the Reds’ future.

Toure is convinced the Uruguayan should stick around because the centre-back firmly believes Rodgers boasts a squad capable of competing for trophies and climbing back into the top four this season.

“Of course if Suarez stays he will have more chances to win trophies here,” said Toure, who was snapped up from Manchester City on a free transfer.

“The organisation and the mentality of the players and staff here is amazing. This is a top professional club.

“Suarez is a fantastic player for Liverpool but it is up to the club to decide what they think is best for everybody.

“I’m just focused on doing my job and this is massive for me. It’s an honour to play for Liverpool – this club is unbelievable.

“I’ve been here for two weeks and I’ve seen a lot of fantastic things. I’m proud and I will give my best to this football club.

“We want to win trophies and play in the Champions League. There are a lot of good teams out there but with the squad we’ve got, we have great players and a great mentality here, we can do very well this season.”

The 32-year-old Ivorian didn’t think twice when presented with the offer of a two-year deal from Liverpool.

A Premier League title winner with both Arsenal and City, Toure was ready for a new challenge and jumped at the chance to be part of the Reds’ continued revival under Rodgers.

He said: “When I got the call from Liverpool, I was like ‘wow’.

“It’s one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League and I made my decision straight away.

“At the moment Liverpool are not in the top four but they have the history, the quality, the players and the mentality.

“This is a winning club and I want to be part of history here. That’s why I came to try to build the team as far as we can.

“To be part of a team who can get the club back into the top four and winning trophies is going to be amazing.

“It’s going to be tough but everybody is really focused and we believe that we can achieve that.”

Bubbling with enthusiasm, Toure made it crystal clear he hasn’t made the move to be simply a squad player.

After the frustration of falling out of favour at Man City, he craves regular action and is determined to prove he can fill the defensive void left by Jamie Carragher’s retirement.

“My experience is going to be important,” he said. “I know Jamie Carragher was a really important player for this football club. He’s retired now and Liverpool had to look for somebody who can replace him. I’m the one and it’s a big honour.

“To be chosen to replace Jamie Carragher is unbelievable because he was a fantastic player and a great leader. It is not going to be easy, but I will do my best.

“My time at City was great and I still have a lot of friends there. But in the last two years, I didn’t play a lot of games.

“I wanted to join Liverpool because of course I want to play more games. The competition is tough, there are some good defenders here, but we all need to fight for our place and I’m willing to do that.”

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Alastair Machray

Alastair Machray was appointed editor of The Liverpool Echo in 2005 and is also editor-in-chief of Trinity Mirror Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales. He is a former editor of The Daily Post (Wales and England) and editor-in-chief of the company's Welsh operations. Married dad-of-two and keen golfer Alastair is one of the longest-serving newspaper editors in the country. His titles have won numerous awards and spearheaded numerous successful campaigns.